Royal baby photos leak on Twitter: Portraits of Prince George and parents arrive three hours early

The eagerly anticipated first portraits of royal baby
Prince George have been leaked on Twitter . And they are about as cute as one would expect for baby photos. Seen in a casual setting with parents
Kate Middleton and
Prince William (and a dog named Lupo), little George has made his debut.

Originally, the first official family portraits of William, Kate and George were to be released at 12 a.m. GMT. That was apparently far too long to wait, and the photos instead appeared by 9 p.m. GMT on Monday (Aug. 19).
Gawker posted two pictures of the royal family found floating around the Twitter-sphere.

What does the world get to see in these eagerly anticipated photos? In one, William and Kate sit in an idyllic field setting. Kate cradles George in her arms, while William has hold of a super-happy black cocker spaniel (the family dog, Lupo). Another dog seems to be asleep behind them all The second photo was taken with a slightly tighter frame and shows the happy parents together with their firstborn.

However normal these photos may look to most of us, they actually represent a major change in royal tradition. The everyday-life setting and the use of a non-professional photographer heighten the impression that the monarchy isn't quite as rigid as it used to be.

It's all lovely, even if little George refused to smile for the photos.